Essence
by Vampyric Ninja
Summary: Yuffie, the hyper brat. Always laughed at, always taken for granted. When the person she loves turns to another, it won't be long until she breaks [and she'll start by running away] YuffieVincentShelke
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all of its characters belong to Square Enix, not me.**

XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX

I can't take this.

I know I'm not beautiful. I couldn't even be considered pretty. The best compliment that I've ever gotten was 'cute'. And that was said by a fully drunk Reno.

But of course, _he_ always said otherwise, _he_ said that I was beautiful. Ha. Those lies, they make me want to laugh.

And _he_ is currently talking to _her._

Let me explain.

I never got along with boys. Or anybody for that matter. Any guy with the smallest amount of common sense avoided me. Heck, even the royal Wutai boys who were supposed to try and win my heart (for the throne), avoided me. I was too ugly, too hyper, too stubborn.

Bah. I wasn't always extremely hyper, but I've spent years building up my mask. I wasn't going to take it off for anybody. I didn't need anyone in my life. Nobody wanted me anyways. Godo never wanted a child, and my own mother had wanted a boy.

I loved her, though, and I grew even more distant with Godo when she was killed. He blamed, still blames, me for her death.

Godo made my time in Wutai a living hell. Blah blah this, blah blah that. Do this wrong, get punished. Do that right, get more work. I would like to hate him, but he's the only family I've got.

I found my condolence in stealing. Taking other people's valued items, stealing their precious materia from right under their noses was always a thrill. I obsessed with materia to keep myself sane. Life doesn't seem so bad when you have something you value. Also, the materia helped Wutai, the land I love against reason.

I always worked alone, though. As I said before, I didn't need anyone.

My perspective changed somewhat when I met Avalanche. I was still in the habit of denying authority, though (living with Godo does that). So I stole their materia. Twice.

Yes, I regret it. In retrospect, I don't know why I did it. I suppose I was 16, naïve, and stupid. Stupid enough to risk possible friendship for money. Stupid enough to rejoin Avalanche. Stupid enough to steal from them again, stupid enough to get caught by that blasted pervert.

Late at night in those inns, I could hear them talking about me. I'm loud but not deaf. I could hear every word that Cid and Barret said when they were cursing my existence. I know that Cloud hates me for being an annoying, pesky thief.

Aeris was the only one who never judged me; she was the sister I wish I had.

Aeris is dead. Like my mother.

There's this other member, Vincent.

We always had guard duty together. He also saved my ass plenty of times, but what I was really thankful for is that he gave me confidence. With him, I actually felt that I had worth. He listened to me when no one else would, and consoled me when no one else wanted to.

I know he will always love Lucrecia from the bottom of his heart. I thought he at least cared about me, though. He told me that I was beautiful.

Of course, back then, there had been no ten-year-old-girl-with-his-dead-lover's-feelings to remind him of said truly-beautiful-lover.

Everyone likes Shelke. Except me. I heard Cid offhandedly say that he was glad some 19 year olds weren't damned brats. That had stung, even though I know he's said worst things about me.

Vincent likes Shelke a lot, too. It took three years for me to get him to say more than a sentence at a time to me. Shelke can get a speech in less then five minutes.

And dammit, it hurts.

I finger my shruiken, watching the sharp blades draw blood against my skin. It stings, but the pain feels good.

I look back up. Tifa is hosting a party to celebrate Vincent's return. He was brought back by Shelke. I had offered bring him back, but of course _Shelke_ should do it because _Shelke_ is perfect and everyone likes _Shelke_ so much better.

I don't care if I'm being childish. Everyone thinks I'm a stupid child, so I'll act like one.

Everyone is partying in the Seventh Heaven. The original Avalanche group is here, along with the Turks. I feel awkward, because I should be out having fun too, but I feel sick, the same feeling I get when I'm on an airship.

Vincent is sitting with Shelke. They're both talking so happily that you'd never have thought Vincent was once Angst incarnate. It's selfish of me, but I liked Mr. Angst better.

My heart constricts again. I look away.

This party is giving me a headache. I can't believe I ever liked these things. I slink deeper to my corner and eye the clock. 11:45. Not even past midnight, but I'm tired. I drag myself up the stairs to my room.

Oh, I didn't mention that I was currently staying with Tifa? Well, I am.

I flop down on my bed and bury myself under my nice, warm blankets. I can't fall asleep, though, as the noise keeps me awake.

A thought passes my head. Nobody's looking. I could disappear, run away. Not back to Wutai, because I'm not ready to face Godo. But somewhere else, anywhere. I feel like a trapped animal, and like that animal I feel the need to escape. Even Icicle Inn's sounding nice.

This is strange. I'm not sounding like myself. I've always been cheerful, even if it was false happiness. And I will _not_ run away.

I try to smile, but I find that it tires me. Lately, I've been feeling really tired.

I close my eyes and listen to the loud music coming from downstairs.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Weeks came and went. Every single day, Vincent would be here for Shelke.

No consideration for his friend of several years, of course. Not one "well, it's nice to see you, Yuffie." He barely says hello to Cloud or Tifa too. Just straight to Shelke like a starving rat to cheese. Maybe I'm just bitter. Shelke makes him happy, and that's more than I ever achieved.

I need to do something. I'm getting bored, and I have no desire of watching Vincent come here and go to Shelke.

I sneak out of Tifa's bar without her noticing. I suppose I _could_ have simply walked out of the bar, but it's just much more fun this way.

I decide that maybe it's time to go on a stealing spree, just simple stealing of anything I like. It will keep my mind off of other things, and perhaps I'll even come across a materia every now and then.

And four hours later, I come back to Tifa's bar, right as rain. Stealing never fails to make me happy when everything else seems to go wrong. I don't really pity my victims; the way I see it, if their valuables aren't protected enough from a thief, then the item deserves to be stolen.

I sneak back into Tifa's bar and deposit my stolen items in my room. And of course, no one hears a thing. I don't know why everyone automatically assumes I'm clumsy. I was rather clumsy when I was a kid, but Wutaian ninja training beat that out of me. For goodness sake, if I can run up a building without falling, I think that I'm pretty balanced on flat land.

But if they want to think that I'm clumsy, I'll pretend to be so.

Well, what to do now? I think I'll go down and bother Tifa. Or Cloud, if he's here. He's gotten better at not disappearing at random times, but he still likes to vanish once in a while.

So I tiptoe past the other rooms and make my way downstairs. I try not to, but I can't help but spare a fleeting glance at Shelke's room.

Oh, did I forget to say that Shelke is here too, even after I went through the humiliation of freakin' begging Tifa not to let her stay? But noooo, of course my opinion doesn't count, because Shelke's a poor, poor orphan and I'm just a spoiled ninja brat and if Cloud thinks that she should stay, then she should stay, because Cloud is soooo freakin' cool and…

I think I should stop there before I get carried away.

Anyways, I peek at the little crack of here door, and my heart leaps into my throat. There, on the bed, sits Vincent Valentine and Shelke Rui, one arm around her waist, the other on her shoulder.

I don't think he means to speak loudly, but his voice carries and I have good hearing, so I hear him whisper "…I…I love you, Shelke."

There's a fluttering of Shelke's eyelashes, but she sits there otherwise nonplussed. "What about Yuffie? Don't you like her?"

That causes him some brief hesitation and me some large surprise. And here I thought he was using me all those times that feels like so long ago… "Shelke, I did like her, but…I don't think I ever loved her. Not like I loved Lucrecia. I would not miss her if she went away."

Vincent leans down and his lips gingerly touch Shelke's.

I quickly look away and run back to my room, barely restraining myself from slamming the door. I feel my eyes water as they grow heavy with tears.

But no, no, Yuffie Kisaragi, you will **not** cry! You haven't cried since your mother died, and you've done so well at not crying at anything else, so _dammit_, you will not cry!

But I want to scream. And what about those times you spent with me, Vincent? When you told me that you would always be with me? And how about that one time when I caught you actually sleeping and you, in your sleep, said that you loved me?

Ha. HAHA HA HA!!! Maybe it only hurts because I was stupid enough to believe him. I quickly run into my adjourning bathroom, and throw up in the sink. I clean it up and ignore the feeling of water running down my cheeks.

I have to get out of here. I have to escape.

I can't stand all of this; not only _him _but also

**Cid**'s frequent insults to me, with

**Barret** refusing to let me see Marlene because I'm a bad influence, with

**Tifa **unintentionally mentioning how cute a couple Shelke and Vincent would be, with

**Cloud**'s silent glares with contempt in his eyes, with

**Cait Sith** bugging and bothering me with questions about _him_, with

**Reeve** only valuing me for my work, with

**Denzel **always pulling pranks on me and only me, with

**Nanaki** thinking me a child, and through it all

**Godo**'s assurances that I am nothing, a disgrace, that I would have been better off dead, that if I wasn't born my mother would be alive, and

**I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!**

If I'm not already, I will become insane. I thought it would be enough just to be able to see him, but…

There is no way that I love, or even like, him. Not a chance. But my decision is made.

I pack the most important of my belongings, and leave everything that will remind me of anything from my past.

I'm leaving.

XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX

_A/N: _

Well, this is my attempt at an angsty Yuffie. I'm trying to be depressing, but I dunno…

Because, I could totally see Yuffie being this misunderstood character since she's always labeled as being overly hyper and cheerful. I don't know if any of you see her this way, though.

And for the record, that list at the end is just some minor cases were Yuffie has been hurt and it just all adds up…

There's no intentional character bashing.

If you've read all the way down here, you might as well review! And remember, constructive criticism, not flames.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all of its characters belong to Square Enix, not me.**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

_I wished that I could have hated him. Here he was, the very cause of my mother's death._

_Even if he wasn't Sephiroth's father, a little fact that was never cleared up, he could have stopped Lucrecia from inserting jenova cells into her child. At the very least, he could have not tempted Hojo's jealousy. He could have fought Hojo and stopped his experiments. _

_But he didn't. Fought Hojo too late and suffered a humiliating defeat._

_He was cold and distant. Undesirable._

_He hated himself for the death of one person yet couldn't care less for the thousands of dead Wutaians. If his mother wasn't from there, he probably would never have heard of my ruined country. _

_He could have at least considered how he and the soldiers he trained caused the suffering of more than his precious scientist!_

_But no, he didn't care._

_It should have been so easy to hate him. I wanted to. I tried._

_But, instead…I…_

**----------------------------Ch 1--------------------------**

I look around Seventh Heaven. Being late at night, it is packed with workers coming for a drink and the usual alcoholics. Tifa said that Cloud had asked her to go somewhere, so another bartender is filling in for her. This place is packed, but it feels so empty…

I still can't accept the fact that Yuffie is not here. She just got up and left…Why she would do that, I still cannot undertand…

One day she was here, and the next day she had left. None of us were particularly worried. Yuffie has the wandering spirit, and we figured that, after she got bored with journeying and stealing, she'd come back. She has been living by herself for years, and she is resrouceful. I doubt that any of us concerned ourselves with the possibility that, maybe, she wouldn't come back.

A week passed, turned into a month, several months, years. She did not call, write, or even visit.

We had gotten a frantic telegram from Godo asking where Yuffie was. We had asked Barret, who said that 'the brat' had not visited for some time. I contacted Reeve, who stated that Yuffie had not been doing any of her assignments and that he thought she was with us. I went with Cid to Cosmo Canyon. I had allowed myself to get my hopes up when we asked Nanaki and he seemed like he actually had news on Yuffie, but with a shake of his mane, he replied that he had not.

In short, none of us knew, and I think it was about then that we became worried. Tifa misses her help and company, and even Cid has had a noticeable change in personality without his foster niece Yuffie. I miss her more than I wish to admit.

We looked for her and are still looking, but I know, and they do too, that if Yuffie doesn't want to be found, she won't be.

I just…Please, she cannot be dead…

Not much has happened since Yuffie's departure. I moved to Midgar to be closer to where Shelke was. I…I think I feel something for her, a feeling very similar to what I felt with Lucrecia. I have visited her often, practically every day. Shelke is the closest I will ever be to Lucrecia, and I am content enough with that. Content, perhaps, but I do not feel happy.

The thought of Shelke reminds me why I am here in the first place. I walk upstairs, and enter Shelke's room. She is sitting on a stool with a book, as calmly and coldly as ever. She nods at me.

I sit on the bed across from her. Shelke continues reading and says nothing.

My eyes close and I feel the calming presence of Lucrecia. I have accepted the fact that she is dead and though she did care for me, she never actually loved me for who I am.

I have accepted it, but I will not forget her.

"Thinking?"

"…Yes."

"About what?"

"Lucrecia." I answer truthfully enough. There is no emotion in Shelke's eyes. Even when I told her that I loved her, her countenance had not changed an inch. Some voice in the back of my head mentions, but I'll never acknowledge it, that I wish she would be more outgoing, more like…

"She just wants you to be happy."

"I know."

Silence lapses again. Shelke returns to her book, and I remain sitting, thinking about nothing of importance.

Some time later, I decide that it is time to return to my apartment in Midgar. Shelke walks down with me. The bar is still crowded, although a lot less so then before. I can only suppose that Tifa (despite Cloud's dedication to changing the fact) was the reason most came in the first place.

We walk towards my apartment in complete and utter silence. It isn't very far. I like the silence, but…

The building quickly comes into sight. I take a deep breath. "Shelke, do you-" My phone rings. I silently curse it, and I debate on whether or not to pick it up.

In the end, I decide to. "…Hello?" I try to hid my annoyance.

"Vince-Vincent?" Tifa. Odd, her voice sounds strange. "I-I mean, that, Yuffie-"

I sharply question her as she starts to stutter again. "Yuffie?"

"She-I found her!" I don't want to raise my hopes (ever since that letter, Tifa seemed to have been seeing Yuffie everywhere), but my heart starts beating frantically.

"Are you…sure?"

"Yes! But…she's hurt. She got hit…by a truck." My heart stops.

"Is she…" My voice fades, despite my utmost effort to keep it strong. I despise my weakness.

"No, she's not dead! But she's badly hurt. I'm-I'm at the hospital. You're busy, of course-"

I cut her off. "I'll be there." I turn on the phone as Shelke faces me, with a questioning glance.

"Yuffie." My throat tightens before I can elaborate.

Shelke looks surprised and slightly worried. "Is she all right?"

"Tifa says she's…alive…but badly hurt." I'm getting impatient with this idle chapter. My heart is still racing. I have so many questions; I want to know if it really is Yuffie, if she's all right, why she left…And as I'm thinking of this, I can't help but reflect on how weak I would seem if I was still with the Turks.

Perhaps Shelke sensed my impatience, for she did not say another word and followed me as we rushed to the Midgar Hospital.

-----

We enter the hospital and a nurse comes up to us, politely asking whom we would like to see.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, please." Shelke is so patient, when I just want to throttle the nurse's neck.

"And who may you be?"

"Shelke Rui and Vincent Valentine."

"Hold on." She goes to her desk and takes some papers. "This way, please."

We follow her. The nurse walks so s l o w l y.

My impatience increases. We finally reach her room. She lets us enter, and follows, asking us not to bother the surgeons working on her. I look at the fallen figure on the bed. She is battered and dirty, and her bones are bent in the wrong positions, but it is undoubtedly Yuffie. I had known that she couldn't have been in great shape, but I still recoil in shock as I look at her, remembering how strong and vibrant she was …

Tifa is nearly in tears, and Cloud is softly soothing her.

After a long while, a surgeon states that they had done the best they could. They leave, while a couple stayed to monitor the heart rate and look for any improvements in her condition. I break the silence. "How did you find her?"

Cloud looks up at me with a slightly reproachful glare. I can't say I really blame him – one of our friends is deeply injured and my voice was completely emotionless. My only excuse is that old habits die hard. "We were dining at a restaurant. After, we went out to have a walk. We ran into Yuffie there. At first I did not recognize her, but Tifa did. Yuffie ran from us, but we chased her. In fact, she almost escaped us, but then…A truck passed and she got hit."

Tifa looks up at Cloud. "You don't think…she didn't want to see us?"

"Of course she did." To my surprise, it was my own voice sharply answering Tifa's. She doesn't answer.

Silence reigns again. Silence – it follows me continuously.

That silence is quickly broken as Cid storms in, Shera timidly following, both ignoring an indignant doctor. "E-excuse me, sir, you cannot just barge into an authorized building-" The doctor's sentence was cut off as Cid slams the door in the doctor's face.

"C-Cid! You can't do that…" Shera hastily opens the door and apologizes profusely to the sputtering doctor. The doctor seems like he wants to drag Cid out of the hospital, but after some comforting persuasion, the doctor leaves, still muttering angrily.

Cid rounds on Tifa and Cloud. "You called about the damned brat?" Not waiting for an answer, he looks at the bed, where some surgeons were surrounding her. "What the hell happened to her!?!"

xXxXxX Y u f f i e xXxXxXx

I don't know why I ever returned to Midgar. Maybe I was lonely. Maybe I was just being stupid.

I will admit that I was feeling nostalgic. The first few weeks after I left, I was doing fine, just stealing from travelers like I used to do before Avalanche. And then, a Wutaian merchant had recognized me as the Princess of Wutai. Like a coward, I had run away.

_("Utterly worthless. No sense of honor. Who would marry such a failure?")_

After that incident, and several more like it, I had continued stealing, but I now felt strangely homesick. Everything seemed to remind me of Wutai or Avalamche or the WRO. None of which I wanted to see or be reminded of. I just wanted to forget everything, forget their friendship, forget my hurt…

But it seemed like I could not. Every time I failed to steal anything of worth or almost got caught, Godo's voice would resound in my head, proclaiming me a failure…I tried so hard to please him…Maybe I was selfish. I wanted someone to love me like my mother loved me. Before she died.

_("Your mother died to protect _you, _a worthless imbecile…")_

I suppose that I eventually got so lonely that I needed to see someone, anyone. I went to visit Red XIII and his mate, in Cosmo Canyon. I think I chose to see him because, even though he thinks I'm a worthless brat, he won't say anything about it.

He was surprised when he saw me (sorry that I'm alive, probably), but he welcomed me well enough, and I stayed with him for about a month.

I remember one conversation that we had. Red had asked why I wasn't staying with Tifa, and I had evasively replied that I didn't want to cause her any trouble. He had then asked if I had any problems I would like to talk about. What problems, was my (falsely) cheery reply. I told him that I didn't have any problems. At all. I don't think he believed me, but he didn't question me further. That's another reason why I like him, though he must think I'm annoying. Red can shut up.

Sooner or later, I left, after asking him to not tell anyone I had visited. He had hesitated, but agreed soon enough.

Time came and went. I am getting older, and what had I accomplished? Nothing.

_("A girl like her, no talent, she can't possibly accomplish anything in her life.")_

I grew thinner, my body became leaner, my hair grew longer, and there were no more cases of my victims recognizing me. I joined a mercenary group. I worked for various people who wanted some monsters destroyed or some area spied on.

And then, when I had nothing to do, I came to Midgar.

I should have known better.

I had walked past the park, thinking (I can imagine their voices; "Wow, Yuffie! You can think?"), when I bumped into someone. I had mumbled an apology, and continued on my way. To my astonishment, I heard a girl's voice calling after. "Wait, Cloud…Isn't that…Yuffie?"

Startled at hearing my voice (the people that I _had_ been seeing usually called me by my last name), I had whipped around and seen the figures of Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife, both looking as astonished as me.

Then, pure instinct had come in, and I had run.

_("Filthy coward!")_

I thought that they would leave me alone (Yuffie? Oh, let's pretend we didn't see her, or something like that), but they had chased after me. Their persistence hadn't changed.

Don't get me wrong. Neither Tifa or Cloud are that bad. But Marlene and Denzel stay with them, and undoubtedly…Shelke would be there as well. That would be five people. Five more than I wanted to see. I _like_ being alone.

I had scaled a wall, and jumped onto the other side. I was confident that I lost them. It was then that some feeling of guilt or loneliness had come in, and I had been angrily trying to shake it off.

Therefore, I didn't see the truck…

_("I wish you were never born.")_

-----

My eyes flutter open and my surroundings blur. I close my eyes. I can hear some people yelling, though, giving me a headache. If I find the energy, I will sue the hospital for improper infirmary environment.

"Of course it's Yuffie! Who else would it be?"

"Calm down, Tifa. We aren't doubting you."

"And hell, yeah we are! It had _**better**_ be Yuffie. You've dragged us all the way to this damn hospital, and if that ain't the brat, then this is just a waste of time that could-"

The first thing I see is people crowding around me. Cloud and Tifa, Cid and Shera…Vincent…and Shelke…

Perfect. A room filled with couples, and I'm the odd one out.

I quickly shut my eyes. Too late. The doctor has seen.

"Miss! You've just been in an accident. Are you feeling all right?"

Yeah, perfectly peachy. I hope he can feel my glare.

Pushing the doctor aside, Tifa hurriedly rushes to my side. "Yuffie? We haven't heard from you for so long! Where are have you been?"

Thank you for ignoring the fact that I've just been hit by a twenty ton truck and am currently lying in a hospital. I turn away from her and mumble something in Wutaian. If I'm lucky, she'll think I'm just another Wutaian traveler.

No such luck.

But thankfully, before she or the others can start pestering me, the doctor shoos them out.

-----

"You are badly injured, but with a little magic and medicine, you should be as right as rain in a couple of weeks." The doctor smiles at me like I should be thankful that I'm confined to this stupid hospital for a few more weeks. "Oh, and that reminds me, you have some visitors."

My heart runs cold over that last sentence. "…I really don't feel like seeing any visitors…"

"Nonsense. Company will do you some good." I guess that's what I get for being nice.

"No, I _really_ don't-"

"And here they are now." The doctor hurries away.

I turn on my side as they come in. Go away…Why can't they just leave me **alone**…

"Well, um…How have you been, Yuffie?"

Like I said before, I'm perfectly peachy.

"Where the hell have you been? Stupid brat, getting thrown in jail, I bet."

I tell myself that I refuse to let anything he says hurt me, even as I feel my heart painfully twist. My throat feels like it's on fire; I can't talk.

"Please, Cid…"

I can feel my self control slipping. It disappears completely when a velvety voice that I try to block out murmurs, "We missed you…"

Flattering. So you only like me when I'm gone, huh? The bitterness rises while my voice finds its way back to me, and I yell, "JUST GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A nurse runs in, looking alarmed, and politely but firmly forces my visitors out.

-----

I finally get out of the hospital today. I should be happier, but now that I'm out, the others won't refrain themselves from asking questions. _Where have you been, Yuffie_ or _Why did you leave?_ or some other stupid question that I don't want to answer. Like they actually care. Which is why I need to get out of here before I see any of them…

The doctor comes in, does a brief interview of how I feel and stuff, and guides me to the exit of the hospital.

Freedom…I sprint out of there. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch the next available piece of transportation out of here. Then, I can leave this stupid place. I run out the door. I barely spent any time here and I'm already choking. I need to escape. Quickly.

I just get past the hospital's parking lot when I am quickly jerked back by a vice-like grip on my arm. I look up, and see the blood red eyes of the person that _I do not care about and never did._

He says in an agonizingly monotonous voice, "You will be staying with me."

My face contorts, and despite my resolution to not talk, I retort. "And if I don't want to?"

Vincent remains completely impassive and I want to punch him, hurt him, strangle him, kill him. "You don't have a choice."

I can feel myself bristle as I hastily bite back my next words, which would undoubtedly start an argument. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of getting another word out of me.

xXxXxX V i n c e n t xXxXxXx

I do not get it. She is not talking. Besides those two sentences, she has not spoken to me, or anyone else, at all.

The others wanted her like this. Silent, mature. One time, when she made a disparaging remark towards Lucrecia, I know that I had told her as much that I would like her better if she shut up. But she hadn't taken it seriously…So why isn't she speaking?

Resounding in my head, I can hear the voice of Galian Beast, weaker than Chaos but stronger than the other two demons.

**Broken…**

…Excuse me?

**You broke her…**

Impossible. I look at her form, so frail in my grip.

She is bright and cheerful. No force could make her otherwise.

**Taken for granted…**

I block Galian Beast's voice. I do not need his lies.

We walk past the many buildings on the way to my apartment I bought in Midgar. The silence is thick and unbearable.

"I'll give you my materia if you talk." It was meant as a joke, because Yuffie liked it when I did make jokes, but she simply scowls and looks away. Her reaction hurts and surprises me, and I slightly loosen my grip.

Yuffie must have noticed this change, because she promptly jerks her arm and attempts to escape. She most likely would have, but I was trained as a Turk, and my grip is strong. She glares at me.

We arrive at my apartment and I lead her inside, taking care to magically bind the lock. She notices, and her scowl deepens. Her grimace throws me off. "Well…You can stay in that room, over there." I point to an extra bedroom where Shelke stayed when she slept over. Yuffie marches to the direction I am pointing in, avoiding my gaze.

I thought the old Yuffie was loud and annoying, but…

I miss her.

And what really hurts is that I also wanted her to be like this.

XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX x XXX

Argh, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I tried making Yuffie angsty but she turned out...bitter.

Hopefully the next chappie will be better. And have more of a plot. Any constructive criticism/ideas/reviews are greatly appreciated (hint).


End file.
